Title: Instant Family
Writer/Director: Sean Anders
Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Rose Byrne, Isabela Moner, Margo Martindale, Julie Hagerty, Octavia Spencer.
Released: 10th June 2019
Format: Blu-ray

When Pete (Mark Wahlberg) and Ellie (Rose Byrne) choose to start a family, they stumble headfirst into the world of foster care adoption. After they learn their perfect foster child comes with two other siblings, Pete and Ellie find themselves speeding from zero to three kids overnight and must hilariously learn the ropes of instant parenthood if they hope to become a real family. Inspired by a true story, Instant Family also stars Isabela Moner, Margo Martindale, Julie Hagerty, and Octavia Spencer.

I’d read good things about this film and believing that foster care and adoption are very important I was interested to watch it to see how it would be played out in a film billed broadly as a comedy. Certainly there are comedic elements to all parts of life, so why not examine the humour in the idea of an instant family?

Wahlberg and Byrne are well known for their ability to handle comedy very well indeed. They’re both worked with some contemporary comedy greats and have led comedies themselves before such as Daddy’s Home and Ted (Wahlberg) and Bridesmaids and Get Him to the Greek (Byrne) in which she was especially funny (and rude).

The question with this sort of film is how well will the child actors perform? Can they match up to their megastar co-stars? Fortunately they can and the whole film works well around a tight-knit group of actors who you can really believe are a (instant) family. No doubt they spent a lot of time in rehearsals getting to know one another and bonding, it shows on screen as they come across very naturally and viewers will not need to suspend their disbelief too much to go along with the film.

It may be a comedy but it’s interesting that the film does delve into the more serious matters of what it’s like to foster children, or to be fostered. This is important as this shouldn’t be taken too lightly and just for laughs. I felt that director Adam McKay was respectful of this and gave it the respect that it deserved. McKay brought his very impressive comedy directing skills to the film, but also impresses with scenes that lean towards the more dramatic as well.

Instant Family was a reason hit at the box office, more than doubling its budget and I believe that it will do well on home release as a film that audiences will be glad to watch more than once to fully appreciate some of the more nuanced storylines running through it. It's a comedy, yes, but it’s a comedy with a serious point to make and a genuine heart at its centre about the importance of family and love.

Instant Family on Download & Keep* and Blu-rayTM comes loaded with more than an hour of laugh-out-loud and uplifting bonus material. Go behind the scenes and see how the cast and crew brought the story to life, and meet writer/director Sean Anders’ real-life family, who served as the inspiration for the film. Plus, watch hysterical deleted and extended scenes and an uproarious gag reel; enjoy commentary with Anders and writer John Morris; and so much more!

Instant Family includes the following:

Blu-rayTM
· Feature film in high definition
· Bonus Content:
o Deleted & Extended Scenes
? Introduction by Sean Anders and John Morris
o Gag Reel
o Commentary by director/writer Sean Anders and writer John Morris
o Mr. and Mrs. Fix-It—Behind the scenes with Mark Wahlberg and Rose Byrne
o Kid Power—Meet the talented young cast
o I Need Some Support—Octavia Spencer and Tig Notaro guide a group of parents through the laughter and tears of foster care
o Order in the Court—Inside one of the film’s most heartfelt moments
o The Families Behind the Fair—Hear from real foster families
o Crew Inspiration—Crew members share their own foster care stories
o The Anders Family—The real-life inspiration for the film
o Isabela Moner “I’ll Stay” – Promotional Music Video
o On Set Proposal—A surprising wedding proposal from one crew member to another

DVD
· Feature film in standard definition
· Bonus Content
o Deleted & Extended Scenes
? Introduction by Sean Anders and John Morris
o Gag Reel
o Mr. and Mrs. Fix-It—Behind the scenes with Mark Wahlberg and Rose Byrne

Instant Family is available now on Blu-ray, DVD and Download & Keep from Paramount Home Media Distribution.

Author : Kevin Stanley